Close Your Eyes
by Nicole Loire
Summary: What might have happened if Cloud never wanted to join SOLDIER and stayed in Nibelheim . . . ?
1. Prologue

Authors Notes: Whee! I've *finally* written a FF7 fic! I'm so proud of myself 'cause i usually stick to FF8 ;) Uhm, for those of you who've clicked here looking for a short story, a warning. This is going to be my next novel-esque piece of writing. It's an alternate universe story and it focuses on what might have happened if Cloud didn't want to get into SOLDIER. It begins 6 years ago, when Cloud & Tifa were 16 and . . . yeah, I don't want to give it completely away so i'll stop there. Enjoy, Minna-san! =) Constructive criticism is always appreciated, BTW.  
  
**Close Your Eyes** - By Asiah Loire  
Prologue  
  
"Cloud, get up! Are you okay?"  
  
The voice of his companion echoed through his mind in the deep sleep. It crept up on him, slowly and softly at first, then getting louder and harsher until it filled his entire head. Her voice commanded him to awaken from the slumber-esque state and, though he wanted to, his body would not obey the simple order. She called out to him, reached for him, tried anything to get a response. His body remained motionless though, and he was paralyzed.  
  
It was only his eyes that would move and so he blinked them open. At first, the transition - going from darkness into the light - shocked him and his vision became a blurred mess. It stung to look around, but was even more unbearable not to see Tifa's face and be stuck alone in the black abyss.  
  
He wanted to say something, comfort her, do something that would tell the worried girl that he was alright. Nothing came; he couldn't even manage a grunt or twitch as he layed, defenseless on the ground. The fact that his body was numb and he had sustained multiple injuries, did not matter because all he could think of was Tifa. He could be on the brink of death and he couldn't care less, as long as his best friend was there and he knew that she was fine.  
  
Her glassy, wine-colored eyes stared into his and he could see, through the thick mist that clouded his vision, that she was on the verge of collapsing. Her temple had a trickle of blood that flowed freely down her face, her wrist dangled loosly and he guessed that it was had been sprained, and she hobbled closer, not being able to apply pressure on her right leg. Her soft, creamy skin had several cuts, bruises and scrapes that were covered by dirt. Through it all though, she barely worried about her own wounds, frightened more for him then herself. She was selfless, caring, and concerned; now looking over his body to check for any serious damage.  
  
"You took a nasty fall."  
  
Kneeling, she crouched over him and gently placed her hand on his head, wiping away the blood mixed with mud that was dripping down his face. He gritted his teeth to avoid an outburst from the sudden, sharp pain. She knew that it was agonizing and winced with him as she tore off a piece of her shirt to wrap around the large, open cut. Forming fists with his hands, the teen dug his nails into the flesh of his own wrists when she wrapped it in a bandana-like fashion and began applying pressure.  
  
"Did the bridge collapse?" He asked, finally finding his voice.  
  
She nodded but didn't remove her hands from his forehead, holding it down tightly. He saw her eyes wandering down to inspect his body for any more damage. Seeing only a few mild gashes and a small amount of swelling, she decided to continue concentrating on what she was currently dealing with. The open incision would most-likely require stitches, immediate medical assistance, a healer, and gauze. She knew that, because some dirt had already gotten inside, it might become infected as well, if not treated soon.  
  
"Mmm-hmm. We were both walking on it and it's so old and unsturdy, it finally gave way." She explained.  
  
"I followed you up, didn't I? You look like you need some help too."  
  
"I'll be okay, it's you that i'm worried about. You'll be lucky if you didn't get a concussion or some other serious problem."  
  
"I'm lucky. . . because you were there and you're here now." He blurted out.  
  
"Cloud, maybe you should just relax. You're probably really tired right now."  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
Tifa had been upset that day because it was the anniversary of her mother's death. She had wandered up to Mt. Nibel, having nothing else to do. She knew it was dangerous and she wasn't allowed to go up there, but did it anyway. Ever since that that day several years ago, putting her life in jeapourdy didn't even stir one bit of fear inside her.  
  
Through the pouring rain in the night, she had tiptoed out of bed, pulled on a coat and, as silently as possible, snuck out the front door. Her father had been asleep when she wandered out of town numbly and nobody knew that she was gone because it was well past midnight and most of the villiagers were alseep. Only one boy, hiding in the shadows near the well, had seen her leave the house and grew worried. Cloud knew that venturing up there alone was not a good idea and he didn't want anything to happen to one of his closest friends.  
  
The last thing he wanted to do was get her in trouble and have her mad at him. So, ignoring his conscience, he followed her up the winding path and through the rain that had begun to fall shortly after they had gotten half-way up. She was unaware of him because he remained hidden behind the bushes or large rock ledges. The whole time, he had never been meaning to spy on her, only to keep an eye out and make sure she didn't hurt herself.  
  
After he accidentally kicked a rock up the path, she turned around, alarmed at the noise, and caught him before he had a chance to hide behind a tree. Tifa had just crossed the old, rickey bridge and didn't want to go back. However, confused and somewhat angry about why Cloud was tracking her, she began to make her way over to him. He came out from hiding and walked over to the girl, just stepping onto the wooden structure.  
  
Before either of them knew what was happening or had a chance to do anything, a loud ripping sound was heard followed by the snapping of rope. Thrown off balance, the two teens had slipped and landed hard on their backs, causing the other ropes to snap. Screaming and clawing for something to prevent them from falling, the pair slid down.  
  
He grabbed onto Tifa and held her tightly, protectively, in his arms. She latched onto him and closed her eyes shut, holding onto the older boy as she could, not wanting to let go for fear that they would get separated. Neither could manage to grip onto anything and they both saw the large drop coming up. She cried something to him but he could barely hear her over the pounding of his own heart as they both plumetted into the void.  
  
"Tifa, hold on!" He struggled to yell before everything went black.  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
Cloud stared at her and, for a moment, she looked back until becoming uncomfortable with his scrutiny. Never before had he seen her look so flushed, so frightened right before they had fallen. A look of pure terror had crossed her face, and he could see that she still had not recovered from the shock, quite yet. Still, she forced it to the back of her mind when she tended to him, now propping him up and making it so that he was leaning against a small boulder.  
  
He yawned, feeling his eyelids and limbs beginning to get heavy. Everything seemed to be getting so far away as dizzying thoughts began to enter his mind. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something wasn't quite right. Everything looked out of place, things were smaller then usual, they appeared to be fading and slowly getting out of place. The ground began swaying, his head felt unnaturally light and weightless.  
  
"Hey!" He heard Tifa yelling to him, but her voice sounded slowed down and barely distant, "Don't die on me!"  
  
He couldn't help it though. Thoughts, words, and memories were all flashing in front of his eyes in one big gaussion blur. It was not that he was giving into the darkness easily, but it was just too impossible to fight for too much longer. Even Tifa's voice could not stop the inky blackness from starting to swallow him.  
  
"Wake up!" She called. However, by that time, her voice was barely audible in his mind and it faded into the background.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, the frantic girl tried shaking his shoulders in a desperate attempt to rouse her fallen conpanion. He didn't respond to the motion and his body slumped forward, lifelessly. He was heavy in her colt-like arms and she had a difficult time trying to get him propped up against the rock again. Using all her strength combined with a rush of adrenaline, she swung his arm around her shoulders and climbed to her feet. Now that she was supporting him, she could take him back to the villiage to get help.  
  
Walking was almost impossible. Already tired and weary from the fall, her own injuries, and the walk up to the mountain, she had to stop to catch her breath after only a few minutes. Persistance along worry kept her going for another few steps before she began to feel her body heavilly perspiring and her lungs panting from the effort of hauling his weight that fully rested on her. Tifa bit her lip and forced herself to not stop walking. It was a difficult task but she would not leave him here, even if it was just to run back and get help. It was too dangerous and she knew that if anything ever happened to her friend, she would never forgive herself.  
  
Slowing down, but not stopping, she maneuvered her way through the upcoming twists and turns. Sometimes she stumbled and wanted to collapse but one look at his drooped head and closed eyes was enough to give her the strength to go on. The path was rocky, muddy and slippery because of the rain that had fallen earlier. The fact that it had pot holes and was narrow, only added to the difficulty of avoiding a nasty crash to the ground.  
  
She knew he was breathing and had a pulse, but didn't know how to awake him or tend to his injuries without having the proper supplies available. Blood dripped from the wound on his forehead, down his body, and left a trail behind them. She glanced at it with concern and saw that the bandage was not helping very much. It was quite visible that he had lost a lot of the life-giving substance, but she knew that there was nothing that would solve that solution until getting back to the village.  
  
On the verge of tears from seeing her friend in such a state and also feeling the pain of her own injuries, she was barely able to move. Her back ached from supporting him, she couldn't move her right wrist, and every time she applied pressure to her foot, it felt like there were thousands of daggers piercing her. She had tried everything to avoid thinking about the pain but could not withstand it for too much longer. Her legs were about to give out beneath her and she knew that it would not be long before she passed out.  
  
"You have to wake up. . . Please . . ." She begged him, wincing as she stepped forward and her ankle trembled from an intense burning, "I can't go any further."  
  
Having given up on striding on, she rested her exhausted body up against a tree and slid down into a sitting position, doing the same for Cloud. Her head spun and she was vaguely aware of the taste of blood at the back her throat. She clutched her sides and hugged her knees, leaning against the boy to keep him warm with her own body heat. By that time, standing up again was simply out of the question. She did not have the strength or will to get up anymore.  
  
"I don't know what to do." She confessed outloud, trying to comfort herself by breaking the silence that had set in, "Nibelheim is still a while away and I have to rest."  
  
Now in deep thought about what her options were, she didn't notice the sound of deep breathing or the light crunching of twigs and rustling coming from behind her. Her senses were nullified from being worn out and so the presence could not be detected by her once-accute sixth sense. Instead of being alert, her surroundings, time, and her companion were all pressed to the back of her mind while she tried to come up with a plan to get them both back to the town safely.  
  
Thus, when she heard a deep growl close by and saw a flash of purple fur, Tifa was nearly in shock. Standing infront of her was the largest dragon that she had ever seen. Shivering in it's immense shadow, her mind went blank. Barely acknowledging what she was doing, the girl altruisticly pushed her companion to the other side of the tree and shielded him. The monster turned its attention to her with a menancing glare in its ruby eyes and she tried to scurry behind the closest bush to hide.  
  
The creature's mouth was practically salivating and it snapped its razor-sharp teeth at her with vengance. She stumbled back further, doing anything to avoid getting trapped in it's eager jaws. Fear overwhelmed her as she stared at it in absolute horror. It was steadily approaching and it's massive body blocked her from running away, up or down the path. The beast imprisoned her on the ground, getting closer and closer as every second passed.  
  
She was helpless against it, wielding no weapons or armor. It could already smell the blood seeping out from her wounds and easily detected her terror. Closing in for the kill, the defenseless girl could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut, cover her head with her hands, and brace herself as a gigantic claw came slashing at her.  
  
* ~ * ~ * 


	2. Who Are You?

Close Your Eyes - Chapter One : Who Are You?  
  
_**"Back then, you could get by with scraped knees."**_  
  
Cloud struggled to open his eyes and take a look around. Mostly everything was blurred or hazy, but there were still quite a few things that shocked him so much that he could make them out. Like seeing his own body from where he was lying. Yet, he was not inside himself, but rather just watching the sequence unfold and was helpless to prevent it from happening.  
  
He was sitting on a few oddly shaped boxes and dressed in an odd blue uniform along with another man. He could vaguely make out the form of someone with long, gray hair that was dressed completely in dark clothing. The teen guessed that it was an older woman, except the build of the person's body, the muscles and height, suggested otherwise. Along with him, stood a young man his own age, wielding a sword and in baggy attire. His black hair looked hard and spiky and there was something strange about his eyes . . . they seemed to almost glow. He might have said the same for the gray-haired person, had he been able to clearly make out its facial features out.  
  
They were all inside a vehicle that was roughly bumping on a road. Outside, rain poured down from the heavens and sounds of a storm were audible. Strong gusts or wind seemed to almost threaten the unstable mode of transportation and he guessed that it may be blown over. This had a bad effect on the image of him sitting on boxes, and the other Cloud keeled over, trying not to let nausea overpower him.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
". . . Hanging in there." He heard himself say.  
  
"You might as well brief us on the mission now." The black-haired boy gestured to the other person whose gender he could not define.  
  
"We're travelling to Nibelheim."  
  
Finally, it was uncovered. The person clad in black spoke at last and he realized that it was a man. Though not a teen, the gray hair definitely didn't mean he was a senior citizen. This man possessed a certain aura and his voice convinced Cloud that he couldn't be over the age of thirty. It was as if one could tell that he was strong, agile, and intelligent, just by being near him.  
  
_Nibelheim? I AM in Nibelheim, aren't I? What happened. . . ? Where's Tifa?_  
  
_**"You and Tifa went up the mountain, remember?"**_  
  
_No I don't. Who are you?_  
  
_**"It will come to you eventually. Everything will come back."**_  
  
_You haven't answered my question._  
  
"We'll be going to Nibelheim to rid the surrounding area of monsters that have been appearing recently. Then, we're to find out the nature of the problem." The gray-haired man said.  
  
Before he could find out whose voice he had heard inside of his head, his attention was drawn to the conversation between the people. They were talking about something called "Mako" and an organization named SOLDIER. That name sounded so familiar to him, however he could not put his finger on where he had heard it before. The words "Materia" and "Reactor" came up as well but, no matter how much he wracked his brain, they all registered as being foreign.  
  
He KNEW where they were from. It was all related to Shinra, even the uniforms. Except, it was impossible to summon up his memories due to the blurred nature of this odd dream. He was amazed that he could hear them talking and make out their features at all, even though he was limited to doing so little of both. But why was he with them? What was the point of all of this? He certainly wasn't working in Shinra and he had never seen these two people before.  
  
"I have to be dreaming..."  
  
But his normal dreams were so much more vivid and usually came from his experiences. However, this dream was odd. Not only had he never seen these people before, but he had no affinity, no desire to work at ShinRa. These men were obviously on a mission, but he had never heard of any monsters around his hometown. And why was he so much older. . .? Was this the future? Perhaps it could be a premonition, some kind of warning . . .? In any case, he couldn't understand why he was being shown this and why he hadn't woken up yet.  
  
The storm outside had gradually mellowed to a drizzle. The lightening & thunder ceased and only a soft breeze was what the hurricane-like winds had been reduced to. He noticed, through the window, that it was likely around midnight. Though there were no stars because of the gray clouds that covered them, the darkness of the sky told him that it was late.  
  
"Cloud?"  
  
_Where's that voice coming from? Who does it belong to? Where did everyone go . . .?_  
  
The gray-haired man and the other officers had all suddenly disappeared into thin air. He looked around for them frantically but could see only the darkness. There was another voice though now, not the same one that had spoken in his mind a few moments ago. This one belonged to a female that was obviously frightened.  
  
"Help!"  
  
_How can I help someone that I can't see and don't know. No, I just can't recall who it is. . ._  
  
"It's coming at me."  
  
_A girl? I know her from somewhere._  
  
"Look out!"  
  
_For what? Why are you screaming like that? What the hell is coming at you?!_  
  
"It wants to kill me . . . a monster. You've got to wake up before it-"  
  
_A monster? A frantic cry for help . . . rocky ground beneath me. . . the snapping of rope. . . The storm had finally cleared when I came to, didn't it? You were trying to keep me awake because I had hit my head. But my eyes just closed and then I couldn't open them. I could tell that you were trying to drag be somewhere, but by that time it was impossible to wake up. You were tired, hurt, and about to pass out, yet you kept on going.  
  
But something was wrong. There was someone else following us. You're right, it was a monster. You weren't able to hear it until it was too late and so you couldn't defend yourself when you finally set me to rest a few minutes, hidden the bush . . ._  
  
"Aaahh!"  
  
_Tifa!_  
  
Suddenly the darkness cleared and he saw another version of himself getting up from behind a bush. He was bleeding, bruised and covered in dirt, but that didn't matter. Without even thinking, he leapt out from behind the shrub and leapt in front of Tifa. He saw the dragon coming at her, knew that it would surely kill her, and could not let that happen. With a burst of speed, he hurled their bodies to the ground a few meters away from the giant beast. It's gargantuan claw came slicing through the air only to be met with empty space.  
  
They both landed with a thud and rolled down the path. Tifa scrambled to get to her feet and Cloud forced himself to stop tumbling.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"Still not awake, eh? Well, you were hurt pretty bad." He heard Tifa's voice and emerged from the dream, "I wish you'd just get up though. You're starting to worry me."  
  
He grunted out some kind of response to her request.  
  
"You should have never followed me up. Now look at you. I can't say I'm not grateful though, you saved my life." She admitted.  
  
He felt a cool cloth against his forehead and opened his eyes to see the familiar brunette holding the piece of fabric and tending to his wounds. He noticed that bandages covered his arms and legs. They were stiff, but he was still able to move them when trying to figure out how much damage he had taken. Cloud guessed they were at the Inn but still could not contemplate on how they had gotten there. Especially since they both had multiple wounds a lacerations from the fall and the monster. However, he was simply grateful to be alive after an excursion like that.  
  
The sky had finally cleared and now the sunlight shone through the window that overlooked the small town. He reckoned that it was Monday morning since many of the women were rushing to get to the market place set up in the center of the town. The men were up working inside of the mountain or managing the numerous shops. He wondered where his mother was.  
  
"I guess we scared a lot of people when we can tumbling down the hill. We're both lucky to be alive because the chances of us surviving that fall were pretty slim. There was a kind man named Zangan who just happened to notice us and called for help. It's a good thing that he was there at the time or else who knows what might have happened if they hadn't fought off the monster." She said, half verbalizing her thoughts and half explaining it to him.  
  
"So how come you're up and at 'em, but I'm still lying here in bed? How long have I been out for?" He questioned.  
  
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, taking the cloth off and dipping it in a bowl of blue liquid. After ringing it out a few times, she placed it on the bed side table and yawned, rubbing her eyes. He bit his lip and wondered how long she had been up watching over him. She brought up her knees to her chest and hugged them, moving closer to him on the bed.  
  
"Jeez, you must've been asleep for at least a week. We were all worried that you were in a coma. It wasn't until the doctor came in yesterday and told us your condition had improved, that everyone was relieved you wouldn't die. I was only passed out for a day or too, but you with that bump on the head..." She trailed off and sighed, "Just consider yourself lucky because I got stuck listening to five hours worth of lectures. I know it was my fault for going up there, but I'm surprised i didn't go deaf after all those adults scolded me."  
  
He sat up and leaned against the wall, placing a hand to where the cut was on his head. Miraculously, it didn't feel as bad as it did before. It still stung to the touch and felt swollen, but at least it wasn't infected or still bleeding. The teen wondered if it would leave a scar. That didn't really matter though, he was just glad that they had both made it back alive. Even if he got punished, he would much rather do a few hours of housework and listen to a few lectures over being stuck in bed because he was paralyzed or still in a coma.  
  
A few of the bandages had blood stains through them and they looked quite fresh. He guessed that the fall had left him quite battered. Even so, when inspecting Tifa he noticed that she only wore one or two and had nothing compared to any of his wounds. Oh well, he thought, better him then the girl. Besides, they weren't even that painful. His head didn't throb and he could breath fine.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She arched an eyebrow, "You're gazing at me like I have three heads. Are my bruises really that bad?"  
  
She rubbed her arms self consciously and ran a hand through her hair. He saw that she was fidgeting with her clothes - tugging down a bit at her skirt, adjusting her top, folding and unfolding her hands. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she became so nervous when all he was doing was looking at her. She became nervous about her appearance and there was something that she didn't want him to see. He wasn't even concerned about her skirt length or what she was wearing, it was her fatigue that made him unable to tear his eyes away.  
  
His friend had never used to do that before. She didn't seem to give a care at all if he stole an occasional glance at her or casually brushed against her when they were walking. He shook his head defeatedly and figured that he would never be able to understand girls. Even if this girl was his good friend, she was still of the opposite sex.  
  
"Ahh...I must look like hell." She stammered, then stood up.  
  
"No..." He cocked his head to the side, "You just look really tired. How long have you been here looking after me?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh it doesn't really matter. I don't mind. I just didn't want anything to happen to you." She responded, avoiding his question.  
  
"Thanks, but you shouldn't have done all this. How long have you been awake?" He inquired.  
  
"Does it matter? I'm fine. In fact, now that you're awake, I'm gonna go call your mom and get some rest." She smiled, "It's not like I really need it or I'm _dying on my feet_ though, so don't worry about me."  
  
Realizing that she wasn't going to give him a clear response, he just nodded and didn't bother to argue with her. At least that way she would get to bed sooner and then he could find out what had been happening while he was asleep. 


End file.
